The First IIT Comes Up in Kharagpur (1951)
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are the premier autonomous public technical and research universities located across India. They are known for their excellence in engineering education and research, and have produced many distinguished alumni who have contributed to various fields of science, technology, industry and society. But how did the first IIT come into existence? What was the vision behind its establishment? And what challenges did it face in its initial years? In this blog post, we will explore the history of the first IIT that was set up in Kharagpur in 1951.
The Pre-Independence Origins of the IIT Concept
The concept of the IITs originated even before India gained independence in 1947. After the end of the Second World War and before India got independence, Sir Ardeshir Dalal from the Viceroy's Executive Council foresaw that the future prosperity of India would depend not so much on capital as on technology. He, therefore, proposed the setting up of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to promote scientific and industrial research in the country. To man those laboratories, he persuaded the US government to offer hundreds of doctoral fellowships under the Technology Cooperation Mission (TCM) program. However, realizing that such steps could not help in the long run for the development of India after it gained independence, he conceptualized institutes that would train such work forces in the country itself. This is believed to be the first conceptualization of IITs.
The Post-Independence Developments Leading to the First IIT
After independence, Dr. Humayun Kabir, who was then a member of the Constituent Assembly and later became the Education Minister, encouraged Dr. B. C. Roy, the chief minister of West Bengal, to work on Sir Ardeshir's proposal for an IIT. It is also possible that Sir J. C. Ghosh, the then director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, prompted him to do so. In 1946, Dr. Kabir along with Sir Jogendra Singh of the Viceroy's Executive Council (Department of Education, Health and Agriculture) set up a committee to prepare a proposal, and made Sir Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, a prominent industrialist and educationist, the chairman. The Sarkar Committee was taking too much time, but Dr. Roy did not wait for the committee to finalize its report and started working on the interim draft itself. The 22-member committee (in its interim draft) recommended the establishment of Higher Technical Institutions in the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern regions of the country. These institutes were recommended to have a number of secondary institutions affiliated to them. The draft also urged the speedy establishment of all the four institutions with the ones in the East and the West to be started immediately. The committee also felt that such institutes should not only produce undergraduates but should be engaged in research – producing research workers and technical teachers as well. The standard of the graduates was recommended to be at par with those from elite institutions abroad. They felt that the proportion of undergraduates and postgraduate students should be 2:1.
The Establishment of IIT Kharagpur
IIT Kharagpur was established at the site of the Hijli Detention Camp in 1950. The camp had been set up in 1930 to detain those participating in the freedom struggle. The first session started in August 1951 with 224 students and 42 teachers. The formal inauguration, by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, happened on August 18, 1951. Nehru laid the foundation stone for the new building in March 1952. In September 1956, Parliament passed the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) Act, which declared IIT Kharagpur an institute of national importance.
The setting up of IIT Kharagpur was part of the Nehruvian vision of making India self-sufficient in knowledge acquisition. Trying to recover from 200 years of colonial rule that did not significantly nurture domestic industry or enterprise, newly independent India needed to industrialize. Technology and technologists naturally had an important role to play in this journey. Also, India had a Prime Minister who was fascinated by modern science. Fostering scientific temper and harnessing science to alleviate poverty and increase productivity were important objectives of his government. This was what led to the establishment of the first IIT.
The Challenges Faced by IIT Kharagpur
IIT Kharagpur faced many challenges in its initial years. The most obvious one was the lack of infrastructure and facilities. The institute had to operate from a makeshift campus in a remote location, with inadequate buildings, laboratories, equipment and library. The faculty and staff had to cope with the harsh living conditions and the scarcity of resources. The students had to endure the rigors of a demanding curriculum and a strict discipline. The institute also had to overcome the skepticism and criticism of some sections of the society and the academia, who doubted the need and feasibility of such an ambitious project.
However, IIT Kharagpur also had many advantages that helped it overcome these challenges. The most important one was the vision and leadership of its founders, directors, faculty and staff, who were committed to the cause of excellence in engineering education and research. They were able to attract and retain some of the best minds in the country and abroad, who contributed to the academic and administrative development of the institute. They were also able to forge strong links with the industry, the government and the alumni, who supported the institute in various ways. The students, too, played a vital role in shaping the culture and ethos of the institute, by displaying their talent, creativity and spirit in academics, sports, cultural and social activities.
The Legacy of IIT Kharagpur
IIT Kharagpur has come a long way since its inception in 1951. It has grown from a single department to 19 academic departments, 13 multidisciplinary centers and 10 schools of excellence. It has expanded from a single campus to three campuses spread over 2,100 acres. It has increased its student strength from 224 to over 12,000, and its faculty strength from 42 to over 700. It has diversified its academic programs from engineering to science, management, law, architecture, humanities and social sciences. It has enhanced its research output from a few publications to over 3,000 publications per year. It has improved its ranking from being unknown to being among the top institutes in India and the world.
IIT Kharagpur has also made significant contributions to the society and the nation. It has produced over 65,000 alumni who have excelled in various fields of science, technology, industry and society. Some of them include Arvind Kejriwal (Chief Minister of Delhi), Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google), Vinod Gupta (Founder of InfoUSA), Arjun Malhotra (Co-founder of HCL), Partha Pratim Chakrabarti (Director of IIT Kharagpur), and many others. It has also undertaken many projects and initiatives that have benefited the rural and urban communities, the environment, the economy and the security of the country. Some of them include the National Digital Library of India, the Ganga River Basin Management Plan, the Rural Development Centre, the Science and Technology Entrepreneurs' Park, and many others.
IIT Kharagpur is not just an institute of technology. It is an institute of national importance. It is an institute of excellence. It is an institute of legacy. It is an institute of pride.
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